Letters

Q-Ball is full of sh** with his story about getting hit from behind by a steel pipe at the 4th&B show on August 8, 2009 (“Rack ’Em,” “Blurt,” August 20). I saw him get in the face of a girl who was fighting with one of their band girls. Next thing I see is a guy come up to the front of Q-Ball and punch him in the face with his fist, not a pipe. He got knocked down, which made him hit his head — no steel pipe. He should pick on girls his own size. Good luck finding one who is 300-plus pounds! That’s it.

J. Nast
via email

Disease And Fire And Rats

This letter is in response to Joe Deegan’s “An End to the Evil Euc” (“City Lights,” August 20). I live in Scripps Ranch, and I have no use for eucalyptus trees. Many of them in the area are diseased, nothing grows around them, they spring up like weeds, they are infested with rats, and their roots permeate sewer lines.

Contrary to your opinion, they are fire hazards. The seedlings that sprout around them burn like brush, and they are filled with flammable oil. They did have an impact on the 2003 Cedar Fire, and the fire department is correct when it identifies them as a fire hazard. I witnessed 75-foot flames during the 2003 fire, and that wasn’t from brush burning. Large forests of eucalyptus trees burned in the recent fires in Australia. I’ve talked to the horticulturist for the City of San Diego, who considers eucalyptus trees to be an unnatural, destructive vegetation.

My homeowners’ insurance has been canceled three times, and it cost me a fortune. I attempted to put up solar panels to help with the energy crisis; however, the 60-foot trees growing in my neighbors’ yards cast a shadow on my roof, which would have reduced the efficiency of the solar panels. As far as I’m concerned, Scripps Ranch is a victim of the “evil euc.”

Ron Harris
via email

Hooray For Us

Well, I really don’t know where to start here. You have published an article (“The Park After Dark,” “City Lights,” August 13) and two letters (August 20) that regard my business on the corner of Fifth and Elm Street in the Banker’s Hill area.

My family has owned City Liquor House for over 25 years, and the business has been here for over 60 years.

You wouldn’t believe the customer service that we give to our customers here; I can’t even believe what I am reading in this article and these letters. I can sit here and write you for days explaining the good things that we have done and continue to do for all our customers, including the homeless.

Yes, we are in the alcohol and tobacco retail industry, and that is what puts the food on our table in my household. My family has been in the business for over 75 years. As far as I know, it is not illegal to sell alcohol to anyone who is over the age of 21 and is not intoxicated.

Actually, just as I had expected when I read the article, first I laughed for about five minutes, but then I realized how many other people in this area would feel the same as I, which is to strongly disagree with it. Of course, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and with all respect, I am all for it!

However, there are many things to consider here as far as why the homeless are at the park. I have run this business myself for ten years now and always ask some of these individuals how they became homeless. Many stories are similar and involve divorce and other things like drug addiction and layoffs from work, etc., etc.

I find myself lying in bed at night just thinking of a way to help all these people find a new beginning; over the years I see most of them as my friends, and you would be amazed at how intelligent some of these guys are. They are just stuck in way too deep of a hole and, I guess, just have given up.

Almost all of them are at church every Sunday. I have watched over 400 of them turn their lives around at the new Rescue Mission on First and Elm since it opened about five years ago. It is amazing what most of these people have done with their lives with the help of the mission. They have moved on and still call to update me on their status and still come in if they are ever in the area.

I have done my best and still do to give the homeless positive feelings and keep them strongly encouraged to fight hard and change their lives for the better.

Now, as far as the “mystery” writers that are writing about this story, they should maybe go take a look in downtown, and they will find ten times the homeless sleeping on sidewalks and in front of apartments and condominiums camped out. Far worse than the ones that come all the way up to Banker’s Hill to hide under bridges and sleep in the park, just to get a good night’s sleep and stay away from the far worse trouble in the deeper hearts of downtown.

What would you do if you had no home, nobody to let you sleep at their house, no clothes, no food, except for the only places that give you a temporary home that is nothing like home and the places that give you clothes that don’t fit and the places that give you food that you don’t like but is the only choice on the menu?

"The N word instead of the word itself are f**king morons just feeding the flames of power to that word. It's a word. a combination of letters. Ni&&er(See how I got around the auto-censor?)is the same thing as the word house-A WORD."

The fact that you are at a complete loss to comprehend anything of the power of language and its place within, and relation to, history and cultural meaning, is exactly what makes you an exceptionlly unoriginal and careless "thinker."

While you like to opine that you are some kind of revolutionary for free speech, you do nothing but repeat an old, tired, and skewed rhetoric shared only by a willfully uneducated--and hopefully shrinking-- demographic.

Yeah, come on PP, I mean, what's the point, really? Your apparently all-consuming perception that you're being wronged by the PC Police? Or does the fact that your shoot from the lip style might be causing preventable injury to a mother with enough on her plate to feed an army do anything to your sensibilities? Does the term back off (even if occasionally) exist in your repertoire? Give her a break.

I agree with SDaniels on this one, Pete. And believe me, you have no clue how much that pains me.

I worked at a hard rock radio station when they decided they'd put stickers on CDs that had "bad words". All the musicians complained. All the DJs at our station complained. And I said "Really, what's the problem here? Now, a parent can see what it is their 15-year-old might be buying." Sure...you can make the argument that they could just listen to it, or research it, whatever. But, everyone cried big, bad censorship...when nothing was being censored. Just simple "warning" stickers.

Now, I hate the fact that they can't make a movie, without it being rated X...it gets NC17, and then some theatres won't carry it because people will protest. It seems that is a form of censorship that isn't fair. But not this.

I've had friends that have used the "n word" while telling a joke, and I go off on them. And they're so surprised by this. The word is really disgusting. And, that argument about it just being a bunch of letters and yadda yadda yadda. Okay, then walk into your bosses office and call her the "c word". And then try to tell her she shouldn't get mad, it's just a bunch of letters. In fact, in London, it's not even much of a curse word. They call each other that the way we use the word "a-hole".

Now, back to the retarded debate (that could have two meanings right about now).

A woman that worked for some mentally handicapped oganization in L.A., sent a letter to the LA Times, when the movie TROPIC THUNDER came out. Her beef was with the scene that had Robert Downey Jr. and Ben Stiller talking about why he wasn't nominated for an Oscar playing a retarded person. Downey tells him "The problem is, you went full retard. You never go full retard. Look at Sean Penn. He was slow, but not full retard. Rainman...he could play Blackjack and had a great memory." (he listed a few more from previous movies, before finishing with)..."You never go full retard!!!"

I told the woman that I agree with her about the word in casual conversation. But in a movie, the whole point of that scene (which was very funny in the film) was that these were idiotic actors that didn't have a clue about anything. And they were only concerned with who liked their films and how they could win awards.

Her and I had an email volley back-and-forth for two weeks, with her stating her case. And she made good points, about people that did understand they were being made fun of, etc etc. I said that a movie can't be PC to protect those handful of people. Otherwise, no comedy/satire would be able to poke fun at midgets, jews, blacks, latinos, or anyone else. And yes, there are people that would prefer that movies/comedy didn't ever do this. But that's highly unrealistic.

I was once shopping in a store, and told someone on the cell phone that my friend was being a "complete retard." The man in front of me turned around, and wanted to kill me. A few minutes later, his wife came in with two teenage boys. Both of them were mentally handicapped. And I haven't said the word since (well...that and my girlfriend was getting mad at the few times I had said it as well).

It's not hard to learn that things can be offensive, and to be respectful of other peoples feelings.

This isn't about feelings,Josh. BTW,Josh? It's ok that you don't agree with me on this. THIS discussion we're having RIGHT NOW is real life. H.Jacobs has 0 concept of real life. If she did,she would educate people(and most likely promptly get ignored)instead of going on some retarded crusade. She wants to give power to a word? Well,two can play that game. I too can give power to the word as well. Hers? Positive. Mine? Negative. I'm trying to educate people just as much as she is. My point is just as important as hers. The word retard will NEVER be set as word not accepted by auto-censors. Ain't going to happen. THAT'S real life.

I think that a lot of it is common sense. To call a process "retarded", or that one country is more "retarded" than other one isn't derogatory. Sorry. It's the English language being used appropriately. I think you draw the line at calling a PERSON "retarded", because it's accusatory and refers to persons that have handicaps that they cannot control.

We've become a nation of hardworking,iron tough sumbches to a nation of limpwristed,take-my-feelings-into-asccount pansies. I don't give two sts what people on here think of me. When I saunter over to YT or MySpace or wherever on the information super highway I may roam,I'm not thinking to myself"Gee. I was offended by what XXXXXX said about me". It's kind of sad really. Part of life is sucking it up,walking it off and being a"man". One of the reasons this nation is so f**ked up because we're all so worried about what someone else is doing. GET A LIFE ALREADY AMERICA!!!!

The fact that you are at a complete loss to comprehend anything of the power of language and its place within, and relation to, history and cultural meaning, is exactly what makes you an exceptionlly unoriginal and careless "thinker."

While you like to opine that you are some kind of revolutionary for free speech, you do nothing but repeat an old, tired, and skewed rhetoric shared only by a willfully uneducated--and hopefully shrinking-- demographic.

By SDaniels

You say ToMAYto and I say toMOTto. I know a s**tload about our lexicon and language. I'm hardly what you'd call uneducated. I've spent my life learning some of the most useless things known to man. Like the saying goes:You could learn ALOT from a dummy. ;-D

Pete, I agree that the PC police that come around complaining about every little word, can get annoying. And I don't think you should post (by "you" I mean ANYONE), wondering if this or that will be offensive to someone. But some things just seem like obvious ways to be a bit more respectful. And it's easier for people to listen to your point of view that way. I know that you don't care so much about those things, as you, yourself said...you like to come in and stir things up.

I have this jacket I bought, that has a bunch of teams from the Negro Leagues. I'm fascinated by the league, for too many reasons to get into right now. Well, people think the name "Washington Redskins" is offensive. They have a team called the Black Clowns, the Black Yankees....and there was a team called ...shoot, can't remember all the names. Even saying "negro leagues" I'm sure, someone would find offensive.

I remember as a kid, my stepdad pulling me aside and saying something to us after a neighborhood kid said the n-word. He said, "If I ever hear you say that word, I'll beat the crap out of you. You can use the word 'negro' or 'black'. But never the n-word."

I wish more parents had said things like that to their kids.

Although, somewhere along the line, "negro" became unacceptable, and a lot of folks don't like "black" either.

Josh,I never said I like to come in and stir things up. That's putting words in my mouth. I do believe that I was put on this Earth to question authority. That's what I do and I do it well. The world today is drowning in apathy and I'm trying to change that. Would there be a discussion about this very thing had I not said what I originally said about America's drug policy? I seriously doubt. Contrary to popular beliefe,I've got a very open mind. If you think you can change my mind on something,go ahead and try but remember this,I've heard MOST of the arguments. I have a particular point of view because I've heard all the pros and cons and chose what I believe to be the most intelligent argument. Just because someone doesn't like one of the things I say and tries to start a crusade against it,doesn't mean they're right and I'm wrong. I don't care what the issue is,I'll actually think about that particular issue and choose sides. I'm the last vestige of an ever dying society. Because the things I say are offensive to the majority of brainless zombies we call a nation,that might make those people right but you must look at the bigger picture first.

I'm assuming that you are either (1) very young, and still see the world in
black and white, which is ok (sometimes I wish I was still young enough to know
everything), or (2) you have a lot of frustration in your life, and vent
anonymously on the internet, which is also ok (at least you're not shooting up a
high school or shopping mall). I hope that you really do, as you say, have an
open mind (although you then immediately say, "If you think you can change my
mind on something, go ahead and try but remember this, I've heard MOST of the
arguments." - Really? I learn something new every day). Based on that
assumption, let me make the following observations:

This is not really about freedom of speech, or giving words more power than
they should; it is about common decency
and recognizing that we are all, as our Declaration of Independence so
eloquently states, equal in dignity and deserve to be treated as such.

You are not really making any arguments; you just say that freedom of speech
is sacred and then rail against anyone who questions you or your choice of
words. It's not H.Jacobs who is apathetic - she is trying to change the world for
her child - it is you who merely rages online at anyone who disagrees with you.
What are you actually doing to make the world a better place?

If you are really interested in having an intelligent dialogue, I would also
be interested to know if you believe in eugenics. Do you think that all fetuses
that are less than perfect should be aborted?

If you are really interested in having an intelligent dialogue, I would also be interested to know if you believe in eugenics. Do you think that all fetuses that are less than perfect should be aborted?

By tuxedoboy

Oh brother...now we could be getting into some "interesting , controversial debate".

Hey tuxedoboy, nail on the head. For your pleasure, PP's "Greatest Hits." There is something for all tastes here:

I'd probably be picking off strangers from a tower on a college campus somewhere in Texas.

"As for myself,I act as white as a white can.

Those are the people I just want to go up to and kick their infant down the block.

I'm not mysogynistic. I just have a pair of balls and I'm not afraid to not put up with women's head games.

And for those offended by my use of the word gay,F*** OFF AND GET A LIFE!

And SDaniels,before you go judging me,there was a perfectly good reason why I robbed that Hardee's at knifepoint.

If I was therealstoryteller's ex-BF and she keyed my car because I cheated on her,I'd pissed but I would bury her in the desert...Keying a car means a new paint job.

Calling someone a ni--er isn't the same as lynching them. I grew up old school where epitaphs were commonplace and nobody bitched about them. We've become too soft,too bleeding heart and too damn politically correct.

[this was accompanied by a link to the message "F... N......!"]

Over time,I educated myself. My take on life is simple:If it's not hurting anyone or anything and it makes you feel good no matter who's morals you may be offending,then do it. I have but one judge,one jury and one executioner-God!"

...There are more, but I got tired of copying and pasting as they 'emerged,' and I do try, as Duhbya eloquently suggests, to get a life. Yes, as you can see, PP has been very busy attempting to better life for all of us, one oppositionally defiant bit of hate speech at a time :)

AG-I definetely don't have oppositional Defiant Disorder. Good try though. I also don't fight authority in the stereotypical way. I question it. THAT'S how I fight it. Like the saying goes:I love my country but hate my government.

Pete, it's like this: You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. Some of this doesn't have anything to do with political correctness, it's more about an attempt not to offend. Obviously, you're free to offend people, but having the right to offend might not be the wisest right to exercise. Challenge authority? You bet! But you're going to get a lot farther by challenging them intellectually than by tossing around notions about the First Amendment.

You're ripe for Plato. In a World that was quickly turning into philosophical arguments that revolved around rhetoric, Plato stuck with dialog. And he was a master! He would politely permit (and even persuade) those with which he discussed philosophical points to state their case. And he would make sure that he understood them. And he would then continue to further their case before countering with his own. In short, by the end of the discussion, they would have no choice than to agree with him.

Next time you're at a used bookstore, pick up The Republic, I promise you that if you try to understand it (it gets tedious, you'll have to be patient with it), it will broaden your argumentative horizons.

I'd rather live in a world filled with "hate speech" than a world censored by those who claim to "know best".

Language evolves. So do the euphemisms we devise to avoid causing offence.

The world used to have an unfortunate percentage of its population everyone called "stupid" or "idiot". Then the kids began calling each other these words on the playground, as kids always will, and the words became derogatory.

Well-intentioned parents began using a non-offensive word that meant slower than average -- retarded.

Thus, "retarded" became an acceptable euphemism. Until, predictably, it became itself a derogatory term and the kids on the playground began calling each other retarded, shocking and offending the teachers and mothers...who came up with "special needs".

The pattern will repeat. "Special Needs" will inevitably become a slur used by grade schoolers, and in its turn a new euphemism shall arise...maybe, "unexceptionally different".

Shall we begin banning the insensitive use of "special needs" right now? Let's shorten the cycle, heh?

If we give in to the impulse to censor, even voluntarily, we shall be forced to continually reduce the number of acceptable words until we finally have no language left at all...except euphemisms.

Let's hear the haters, let everyone see them for who and what they are...trying to hide the ugly underneath and suppress unpopular views, even horribly unthinkable and repugnant views, only gives them more power. Know your enemy. Don't make yourself wilfully blind in a vain attempt to control how other people express themselves.

To sum up, it may be retarded to label someone retarded (by the way, Pete's orginal comment said our country's drug policy is retarded), but it's even more retarded to try to ban the word retarded.

People may think that I try to offend. They'd be wrong. Like my GF tells me all the time"You're you. You're not pretentious. You're brutally honest. You're rough around the edges but have a heart of gold". I've never sought to offend. S happens though and we deal with it. Contrary to what people may think of me,I refuse to believe I'm a bad human being because life isn't all rainbows and unicorns. I'll check out The Republic next time I'm downtown. There used to be a bookstore in Hillcrest near The Brass Rail. It's hilarious how we give the ultimate power to words and the ability to dictate our lives. I was just thinking about 4 years ago when I first moved out here. I hadn't been to a gay bar since my Chicago days so my GF took me bar hoppin' in Hillcrest. We stopped at a place called The Loft. It was early. About 10:00 in the morning and this place had just opened. I stuck a 10 spot in the jukebox and played some songs. About the 4th or 5th song I played was The Bloodhound Gang's"Fire Water Burn".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGvd-C7bw8g
The chorus sings"The roof,the roof is on fire,the roof is on fire,the roof is on fire. We don't need no water. Let the motherfer burn". The second time it sang this,the bartender/possible owner came over to me. He said"Who is this?. So I told him. He said"I thought I asked them to take this garbage off". I just looked at him weird and thought to myself"You find love in another man's hairy a**hole but the word motherfer offends you?". I'm STILL scratching my head on this one. If I had any problems with gay people,I was in the wrong place. That's when I KNEW this PC s had to stop.Gays are the most liberal people there are and I love them for it. My GF had to explain to me that Sandy Eggo was still a Republican stronghold in California. It kind of made sense. It was still very surreal though. I'm just glad I didn't play Body Count's"Cop Killer".

Couldn't have said it any better myself,Mr.Williams. :-D I'm not demanding the right to shout epitaphs from the rooftops just because it's my 1st amendment right. I'm asking people to not judge other people for using those terms in everyday life. The words I use may be horrible to some but they're the truth to people smart enough to see it as it is....just a word. I don't believe there was anything wrong about my original staement. Someone took offense. I apologized and was willing to move on. She took it further and wrote a letter to this very publication"outraged"that a horrible human being such as myself could be allowed to use use such derogatory language never once saying"That's his right to use it no matter how it offends me". Like I said before,I'm the kind of guy you want on your side. There's another Stringers article about the Francine Busby debacle. I've weighed in with my opinion(there's a word with some power-OPINION). I would never vote for Ms.Busby,think she should be voted out and probably wouldn't agree with her on much. But I'll die to defend her right to say it.

Pete, there wasn't anything wrong with your original statement. One country's drug policy is more retarded than another's. Not only is it true, it's proper use of the English language. If the lady got bent about that, then she's wrong. But, like yourself, she has the right to get bent. It's going to happen.

Me and my mom enjoy arguing politics. She likes the political forums and often invites me to them (otherwise, the long distance bills get out of hand). I just got kicked out of the last one she invited me to in less than two weeks. And I'm a nice guy! But, you know, you're going to tick someone off no matter what, so I understand. My only suggestion continues to be, people should try and be civil, and respectful. It's easier to communicate that way.

"Lonely spinster." "Think outside the box." "shooting fish in a barrel." Any other cliches to share how originally misguided a thinker you are?

Wait. Don't bother--I already know what you are going to say (we're on a cliche roll!)

PS, PP: I don't need to rally anyone--the point is that you attract what you attract, as refried commented. Not that that will do you any good, because it would clearly violate free speech to be civil and employ more logic than nonsensical and inflammatory spewage.

You are a character--straight out of central casting-- yet another cliche! Your turn.

SD is a very smart lady, Pete. I've met her and I like her a lot. You two got off on the wrong foot for a lot of reasons. I hold out hope that at some point you'll find common ground. But, until then, I'll leave you two to fight your own battles. But I'll still hope.

Mindy (or storryteller or whatever she calls herself this week) is another story, I don't get along with her at all because she is manipulative and dishonest. And I'm sure she'll have all sorts of crap to say about me.

PP obfuscates: "That's the whole point. I wouldn't shout them."
What'd he say? So you let your keyboard do the shouting for you, eh, Peter? Anonymously. So much for that gigantic set of balls you keep boasting about. For the record, I abhor the mere thought of censorship. Indeed, I may hold the Catholic grade school record in San Diego for most nunslaps. I do admit to having a problem when words are hurled like projectiles with malice aforethought. This is how your invective plays out, Petey. I realize that have neither the inclination nor the tools needed for regulating that part of your persona. As such, I have some property that I'll make you a screaming deal on. You can be back with your beloved Cheeselips, uh, heads. It's in Bellevue, WI at 123 Goa Way. Check it out.

2)All I'm doing by"railing"someone is presenting an opposing viewpoint. You say"Bush was a well respected president". I say"Bush is a lying,coniving bastard who should be hung from the nearest tree". H.Jacobs got her panties twisted because she felt that she had to defend and protect her son. F**king kudos to her. She should've been smart enough to see that she was choosing the wrong side of an argument instead of just going about her business. I was ready to drop the whole issue until I noticed that she wrote a letter chastizing the Reader for allowing me use a word.... She wanted a meaningless crusade? She got a war instead.

3)I don't know much about eugenics but I'll look it up tomorrow. As for abortions,there needs to be more of 'em. I'm ALL for women's rights as long as they play fair. It's not up to me to say whether or not women can have abortions. That's between a woman and God and I won't judge a woman because she had one. It's a non-issue for me.

SDaniels? Next time you cherry pick my quotes,please put them back into the context you took them out of. And as a correction:"If I was therealstoryteller's ex-BF and she keyed my car because I cheated on her,I'd pissed but I would bury her in the desert...Keying a car means a new paint job" should actually read"If I was therealstoryteller's ex-BF and she keyed my car because I cheated on her,I'd pissed but I WOULDN'T bury her in the desert...Keying a car means a new paint job.

There's NOTHING wrong with hate speech. All I do is speak the truth. There are more closet haters than the liberals would have you believe. Just because I use offensive words does not make me a racist. I have an asian woman who lives across the hall from me. Her son is half asain and half black. Above her is a black woman and a white guy from texas. Across from them and above me is a white guy from Denmark and a black woman from New York who have a beautiful mixed child. These are my neighbors and I get along with them. They work,play and mind their own business. I have no problem with them at all. I'm against mixing races but I also understand that the world does not always think like I do. That's ok. I'm certainly not trying to get the world to use offensive language like I use. I'm just simply saying that not everyone is PC. I let people be. Live and let live. It's a two way street. I expect people to treat me with the same respect that I give them. If what you do offends me and I can still have a conversation with you,then that means I respect you. I exspect the same thing. What pi$$es me off are the goody two shoes in the world that think their s*** don't stink. There will NEVER be peace and harmony on this planet and I love it. The nazis wanted the Germans to dress,think and act the same like robots. This is what America is coming to. Political correctness is Nazi-speak for:Do as I say,not as I do. I don't sugarcoat anything....

Tuxedo-1)It IS about Freedom of Speech. How is it ok for someone to say"I wish those words were illegal" but I can't say something offensive because I may offend someone? Just because I don't agree with someone on a particular subject doesn't mean I wouldn't have a beer with them.

Let's hear the haters [...] Know your enemy. Don't make yourself wilfully blind in a vain attempt to control how other people express themselves."

Fred, obviously said from experience, and self-query of your own motives. You are clearly passionate about your issues. Allow others theirs; as you choose to rail against San Diegans' ignorance of local politics, understand that others have agendas for differing social issues. Do you derive an inflated sense of self, as you unfailingly step in to prod citizens about political corruption in this city? Whether or not you do, you still take on the job. Moot point.

For the record: I have strong feelings about the choices made to express hate, but have never attempted to 'control' it (i.e. remove anyone's posts), and while I can't speak for others, I can say that my vanity is not much inflated taking the time to remind readers of what PP has freely shared of his background and views.

It's more like pouring a little disinfectant on NYC subway platforms--without pay. I'll tire of it, maybe someone else will slosh the bucket, and maybe not.

No one is trying to control anyone's speech here--it is clearly about continual revelation and repetition. To me, this has not much to do with free speech, other than the banal (for Americans) fact that it takes place.

I agree. Get it all out in the open, and let people see what kind of ignorance exists out there. Maybe we can shoot for better in the next generation. Yeah, judgement....

Pete...it blew me away that you said you have a problem with different races having kids with each other. Really??? Wow!

SD...it blows me away that you spend so much time trying to "cherry pick" quotes of PPs, so everyone will "hate" him. But most people realize, sometimes he's funny. Sometimes he makes points. Sometimes he sounds idiotic.

Yet, you said you never wanted to do this with Spliff, because you "didn't know where to start." Very, very interesting, that not once, you couldn't post a paragraph or two about how insane he was. Or, to even try to help him cohesively put his thoughts together. Instead, he'd just ramble on like a complete and utter idiot.

For some reason, though, Pete does this (in your opinion), and you feel the need to...well, I dunno. The need to let everyone know about him.

LMAO@ the hypocrisy here. Refried? I never said SDaniels was stupid. Clearly she's not. She isn't however,smart enough to come back with any kind of argument. I noticed that she ALWAYS finds a way to bring this back to me. I don't see her disputing my claim. I do see her trying to say that I'm cliche. I may be cliche,SDaniels,but I'll be damned if I'm not going to defend myself. And Duhbya? I can see from your posts that you ARE indeed too stupid to comprehend the argument at hand. Why don't you,go away. I'd hardly call myself anonymous. Finding me wouldn't be too difficult for the worst private dick.

I'm tellin' ya Josh,it's like being in grade school. SDaniels wants me so bad it hurts. Afterall,I'm the cliche"Badboy"and we ALL know how that passion play turns out. I'm against mixing of the races for pure genetic reasons. If God wanted us to all look the same,he would've created us all the same. My neighbors all have mixed kids. I don't treat them ANY different. I also don't treat the parents ANY different. I can respect the fact that the world around me doesn't think or subscribe to the way I do. THAT'S what makes us better than the other animals. Just because I would never mix races does not mean that my neighbors should as well. Respect is a two way street. It's just a matter of preference with me and I prefer not to.

Well, let me shoot down that argument. If "God" as you say, doesn't want races mixed, well...why is it possible to do so? Surely this "God" you speak of, could've created a human race where different races couldn't have kids. IF, that is what he/she (not sure the gender of your "god") wanted.

I mean, a cat and dog can't have off spring, right?

Yet, other animals (like different breeds of dogs) are able to.

So...if "God" doesn't have a problem with it, why do you? (on a side note: it's great that you don't treat mixed races different)

As to why people look different...well, the smarter folks like SD and rickey could probably explain it (as I paid very little attention in class), but doesn't it have to do with what part of the world they lived? Darker skin because of the sun, etc.

That's the whole point. I wouldn't shout them. Not only is it offensive to a large part of society,it could get me killed. Anytime I become friends with someone,I ask them if my use of certain words might offend them. If they say yes,then I tell them simply that if they never spoke to me again,I wouldn't lose a night's sleep over it. But like Fred was alluding to-WHERE DOES THE INSANITY END? That's my whole point. Ban retard today and they've won. This country used to have a gigantic set of balls and wasn't afraid to use them. Where'd we go soft? As much as I love hippies,I think it started in the 60's and the Vietnam Era. The 50's and before were a wild ride. Those decades didn't take s from anyone. Then someone's feelings got hurt while dropping acid in the 60's. The 70's were all about disco and re-inventing sex(Which I'm NOT opposed to at all). The 80's were the me generation. The 90's just plain sucked. And here we are today. A movie like Porky's couldn't get made today because heaven forbid we use the words kike and ni&&er in a movie about the time when it was acceptable although frowned upon. Same thing with smoking. Heaven forbid we show grown fing adults smoking in a movie. The youngsters might think that's cool but I'm too worried about my life to teach my offspring that smoking is bad so we'll just outlaw it.

I'm all for that Refried. This discussion is just one of many since I came here a few weeks ago. I'm a live and let live kind of guy. It IS kind of fun watching SDaniels and thestoryteller rally people against me. It gives me a window into whose a sheep and who isn't. Sometimes I think to myself"I wonder if any of these people truly give two s***s what they they think". I can ALWAYS tell the lonely spinsters from the people like me with semi-real lives just trying to get by. SDaniels and thestoryteller are like shooting fish in a barrel......

God also gave us free will. It's against His law that we murder people yet he allowed the creation of the gun,the knife and the poison. Like I said,it's a matter of preference because of genetics. EVERY race has it's own health problems. That's human nature. Not to mention,what ever happened to pride? I'm not talking about La Raza/Black Panthers/White Power pride. I mean good old down home pride. I have to wonder if people marry and breed outside their race for the rebeliousness of it all. I have a cousin who married a Jamaican. They have BEAUTIFUL kids. Her father,my uncle was racist. His brother,my other uncle was racist as well. One cannot think that my cousin married outside her race to spite the wishes of my uncles. My uncles have since renounced their feelings towards inter-racial marriage. But it makes one wonder how many people aren't following their hearts and are just saying"f*** you"to society. Again,I'm not saying it's"wrong"because this is just one man's opinion. I just don't think it's"right". My feelings could very well change later on in my life.

Premise....! Yet, other animals (like different breeds of dogs) are able to.

Conclusion...?

So...if "God" doesn't have a problem with it, why do you?"

Bingo!

Wow, Josh is blown away again (twice in two sentences! a record? nah.) by his pet blogger's sudden, shocking thoughts, but can still stutter out with some fifth-grade argumentation. Good job!

It IS Josh's job to get blown away, and to "find things odd" many times a day, while the slow, painful creak of mental wheels screeches out the sound of a scratched blackboard--and slowly comes to a rest around 2am, until the crank starts up again.

Sorry, you've called me stupid and idiotic so many times, with so little else by way of content, that I can't resist this time, despite it being your own resort of true fools and narcissists (call 'em as you ARE 'em).

"SDaniels wants me so bad it hurts. Afterall,I'm the cliche"Badboy"

Please! You know low or damaged IQ really turns me on! Can I somehow be done (or done in) by a garden-variety misogynist, racist, paranoid, semi-illiterate freak who looks so like your basic standard redneck that you can't tell the difference between his face and the dog with extra kraut he's holding?

We all know "Cliche Badboys" are the most exciting to English majors. (?)

"I mean good old down home pride. I have to wonder if people marry and breed outside their race for the rebeliousness of it all."

That's right, PP. People marry outside their race of origin to make sure YOU know they are rebelling against YOU. This is how much of the world works, damnit, and you've got more work to do, to let them know every move ia a reaction to yourself.

Carry on, losers. And refried, hope on, for whatever strange reason you hope for some kind of "understanding" you mention. Actually, my extended convalescence is hopefully going to end, work is about done here, and I have a new job anyway. If I have any time online, I'll just toddle off to my own blogs--where lengthy autobiographical postings ARE appropriate. Toodles.

SD...it's funny that a person can be as smart as you, yet so dense. Even your writing style...while I enjoyed your blog about shoes and France, you come across as someone that just wants to impress all with your big, vast knowledge of the language. Yet in debates (aside from the one above) you just sound like a moron. You still couldn't even comment on that racist Gates, because if something happens in the news that doesn't subscribe to your idiotic world views, you just don't comment on it. Instead, you feel like attacking someone like Pete. Because...I'm guessing...that accomplishes so much more (that was sarcasm). Instead of explaining to your 3 students online, that there's a difference between an African-American that has be repressed many ways by society, and one that is highly successful, yet writes about it, and is so convinced that these things happen in society, he yells racist things at white cops that come to question why he "broke into" his house.

Pete...I would say there's nothing wrong with having pride in your heritage. So, if some Irishman is proud of Ireland and the history of his clan and old sod, so be it. It doesn't mean he has to find an Irish woman, does it? He could fall in love with someone completely different, and have kids with her. And he can teach the kids about their history. Their moms history. And his history. Both completely different.

And don't get me wrong. I have no problem with someone that is really into their Christianity, wanting to marry another Christian. Obviously, someone that feels that strongly about their religion, would want a partner that does as well. I'm talking more about ethnicity.

I had a friend that wanted a blonde wife, because he wanted "white" kids. He married a Latina, and was disappointed his kids were dark. Well, he's an idiot. The kids are beautiful.

To me, there's no problem wanting your wife to look a certain way, because you might prefer a certain look. But wanting your kids to be carbon copies of yourself, is to me, just plain odd.

I like the way the character did in "My Big Fat Greek Wedding." She married a white guy, but still had her kids going to Greek schools, because she felt they should learn about their culture (although it kind of contradicts the first half of the movie, since she hated her dad being that way and being so forceful about it).

EVERYTHING is wrong with hate speech. There's NOTHING right with it. It's useless, it's negative, it promotes ill will, it's divisive, it incites violence, and it makes you look like a social "retard" with Oppositional Defiant Disorder and/or Antisocial Personality Disorder and/or a few other possibilities.

Much like evil in general, it pretty much functions as a virus.

"I expect people to treat me with the same respect that I give them."

Really? Well, based on your constant use of racial slurs, I take it that's "none," then.

"The nazis wanted the Germans to dress,think and act the same like robots. This is what America is coming to. Political correctness is Nazi-speak for:Do as I say,not as I do."

It's kind of ironic that you bring up the Nazis, right after you say you're against race mixing.

I'm not overly politically correct, myself. And I don't make members of either side of our hopelessly bipolar political system particularly happy with my opinions, which do not fall neatly along party lines.

But there's a difference between being an independent thinker and just being as big an ass as you can legally get away with, because "it's a free country." It is. Kinda.

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

Pete, here's a link to the history of the First Amendment and why it was written. Why don't you give it a little look and see if you think that way back in 1789, James Madison, a special committee, and then the Senate drafted, modified and remodified this amendment so you could get away with calling someone a "ni&&er?"

...from a time in this nation's history when it was socially acceptable to call people "ni&&ers." Just a peek into that era, and the minds and activities of the type of folks who routinely used the word. It's also just a little snippet of the autobiography of this man:

"Pete, it's like this: You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar."

My evil adoptive mother used to say this. And while I understand the metaphor, my thought was always, "An old spider like you should know..."

"Some of this doesn't have anything to do with political correctness, it's more about an attempt not to offend. Obviously, you're free to offend people, but having the right to offend might not be the wisest right to exercise."

Here's a nice example of that, just in case anyone had become optimistic that 'complete' morons were extinct:

Upon meeting a neighbor there in San Diego for the first time, among his first (and last) comments to me were, "Well, it looks like you're eatin' good!"

Nope, I'm not kidding. True? Undoubtedly. Wise? Not so much.

"Challenge authority? You bet!"

In "Maybe/Maybe Not," pop author Fulghum once wrote that back when he was teaching, he used to wear two buttons, one on each lapel.

"The PC police and their ilk have formed a mission of sorts and I'm trying to burn it down."

Pete, you're much better off building than burning. If we're lucky as a society, burning happens naturally, it doesn't need our help. What I hope is burned naturally is racial inequality, homophobia, marginalization of the poor, gender bias, and the exploitation of anyone by anyone. Obviously, there are more. We do this by building, not by burning.

Political correctness is an invention of the media. Don't fall for it. You don't have to defend yourself against anything you're not forced to watch, read, or listen to. It isn't a mission you're fighting against, it's the notion that people that sell mouthwash and tampons and laxitives want to have you believe that whatever comes out of your mouth has to be a certain way.

You don't burn that down, you ignore it. And you build something better. You're busy fighting the newspaper or the radio or the television or even the internet by claiming that they're trying to control your freedom of speech. Pete, they can't hear you. Your match isn't effective against a ghost.

Build. Build a better world, one where slurs and insults don't matter because no one has any reason to use them.

I am proud to call you friends. You guys are indeed the better teachers, with much more energy {polite curtsey or bow, whichever you prefer).

Pete, if you really are picking up on refried and anti's points, more power to you, and less to me for not taking the time to make mine clearer. We can all learn a bit more about flies with honey, including myself.

If you get the point that no one here wants to limit your speech, and that it really isn't a free speech issue, well that's really not such a bad start :) Peace out, all.

"...you come across as someone that just wants to impress all with your big, vast knowledge of the language."

Gee! Thanks! That is EXACTLY what I want you to think, Josh. Kindly don't change your mind about this, as my fragile persona depends upon your opinion in this matter. And whatever you do, please don't read the posts where I've admitted my French is a bit rusty.

BTW, French news lately is not de rigeur or much rigorous. There is as much reportage on Jaycee Dugard (wait--because of the French name?!) and LA fires as there is on Sarkosy and the Socialists (the name of a punk band, Josh--check it out!)

You have to think outside the box,Josh. I HATE censorship. It's a fact of life though. As long as man tries to get someone from saying something they don't agree with,man will eventually come along and figure out a way to get his point across. People who use The N word instead of the word itself are f***ing morons just feeding the flames of power to that word. It's a word. a combination of letters. Ni&&er(See how I got around the auto-censor?)is the same thing as the word house-A WORD. Nothing more. Nothing less. I refuse to give ANY words in our lexicon some sort of ritualistic power. It's a word. Ni&&er,g00k,spic,f@g,wop,cameljockey,polak,redskin. All letters typed on a screen. I see her point but I'm not buying it. A ni&&er is a bundle of sticks,a f@g is a cigarette and a retard is a person born without normal reasoning and intelligence.

I was just on YT and saw ALOT stuff about flagging videos. Someone wrote:

First they came for the Jews but I didn't care because I'm not Jewish.
Then they came for the Southern Baptists but I didn't care because I'm not Southern nor a Baptist.

Then they came for the Muslims but I didn't care because I'm not Muslim.

Then they came for the Catholics but I didn't care because I'm not Catholic.

Then they came for the Athiests but I didn't care because I'm not an Athiest.

Then they came for me but nobody cared because they couldn't help me. They were already gone.

This might be a little too deep for H.Jacob's peabrain. If The Reader decides that I'm in the wrong and bans me,what's there to stop me from getting a new computer with a new ISP and just creating a mirror account? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! And now you see the circle of stupidity when it comes to internet freespeech. I once had a woman tell me she was going to sue me for telling her to kill herself.....LMAO! There really needs to be a test to breed and get online....

I think H.Jacobs has been drinking the Obama kool-aid too long. Last time I checked,lady,this was STILL America. I'm sorry your kid is retarded. I'm sorry you're a bih. I'm proud to not be politically correct. The other day I was on YouTube just screwin' around and a video from The Kids In The Hall was recommended. It's pathetic to know that because of people like you,there will never likely be ground breaking comedy shows like TKITH and In Living Color. Being PC means you have no concept of history. Because you want the world to be sensitive to your plight,you're willing to legislate my rights to tell you to get f*ed away? I don't think so. I won't stand for it. The Reader can do what it wants. I don't really care. I've been banned from numerous websites for speaking the truth. Ban me,ban me,ban me but I'm NOT going away. I'm part of a revolution of independent thinkers that wants our country back.

I was willing to drop the subject till she wrote a letter. She wants her 15 minutes,fine. I've got no problem with. I also have no sympathy either. She strikes me as the kind of person to scrutinize things just to be"offended". She could've easily ignored my original comment but chose to make a mountain out of a mole hill. Now she wants everybody to not use the word retard because she decided to breed one? F that bulls. I'll say what I want,to who I want whenever I want and consequences be damned. How come the Democrats only want free speech when it applies to what they say?

Why does it bother you so much that I've mentioned French in conversation with others? Does it bother you when refried or anti write in French? Why is it pretentious? If I learned Spanish or Swahili, and others shared an interest, I'd discuss it with them, too. My advice: get over it. Your continual claims about my pretention are--just boring, and "a little odd."

It's funny you mention Spanish and Swahili. I am a bit rusty in my Swahili at the moment. I just don't get enough of a chance to practice it here in San Diego. Although my Italian is top notch.

My German is also strong, although whenever I speak it, people think I'm mad. Or that I'm sending someone to the gas chamber or something.

SCHNELL!!!!!!!!!!!!

(oh, to answer your question: no, it doesn't bother me when refried and anti do it, because they seem to do it when applicable. you seem to do things merely to impress. someone might mention bukowski, and you'll say "I prefer his Pulp to Women...but Post Office is also a nice, lite read." it's like you want everyone to know, that you know, some of his novels. you do that with your mentioning of French. it's like that kids character in The Squid and the Whale, trying to talk literature with a female classmate, and getting parts of what his dad has said about certain novels, but messing it up completely)